Potato-digger.



"H. M. HOUOHINS.

POTATO BIGGER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1912.

' Patented Dec. 30,1913.

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" POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1912.

1,083,098. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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M 314430144300 H .fiauchuw H. HOUOHINS. POTATO BIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYQ, 1912,

1,083,098. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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HENRY M. HOUCHINS, OF BEGKLEY, WEST VIRGINIA.

POTATO-DIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30,1913.

Application filed May 9, 1912. Serial No. 696,130.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY M. HoUoHINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beckley, in the county of Raleigh and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PotatoDiggers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in potato diggers and the obj ect of the invention is to produce a simple and eflicient device of this nature having various details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved potato digging apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. l, and Fig. 4 is a detail in elevation of a rake elevating devlce.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1 designates the frame of the apparatus which has a driving axle 2 mounted thereon, said axle having wheels 3 loosely mounted thereon and each wheel provided with a clutch collar 4 integral with the hub thereof, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. 14 clutch collar 5 is splined to the axle and has a sprocket wheel 6 integral therewith. An annular groove 7 in said splined clutch collar has a ring 8 swiveled thereto which is provided with a lever 9 pivotally mounted upon a pin 10 carried by a bracket arm 11 secured to the frame of the apparatus. Said lever is piv' oted at its upper end to a bar 12 which in turn is pivoted at 13 to a hand-operating lever 14. The lever 14, as shown in'Fig. 2 of the drawings, is guided in an elongated slot 15 formed in the plate 16, the lower mar ginal edge of the slot being recessed as at 17. A spring 18 is fixed to said lever 14' and is interposed between the edge of the slot and lever and tends to hold the latter in said recess 17.

A rock shaft 19 is mounted upon the frame and to this the upper ends of the bars 19ers fastened. The lower ends ofsaid bars are fastened to the bail-shaped member 20 which has a vertical play guided by the straps 21 fastened to the sides of the frame. A rod 36 is fastened to the bail-shaped member 20 and a lever 38 is pivotally mounted upon the pin 39 and has swivel connection with a collar 40 loosely mounted upon the shaft 36, whereby, as said lever 38 is swung upon its pivot, the lower end of the tines which scoop up the potatoes may be raised or lowered. A spring-pressed pawl 41 is mounted upon the lever 38 and is adapted to engage the notches 42 upon the segment member 43 whereby the tines may be held in adjusted positions. The edges of the bail 20 are notched, as at 44, and a rock shaft 47 is journaled in suitable bearings upon the frame and has pawls fastened thereto. A tread lever 48 is fixed to the rock shaft 47, affording means whereby the shaft may be rocked so that the pawls fixed thereto will disengage the notches 44 and a counter-balance weight 49 will return said shaft 47 to its normal position after pressure is relieved from the tread lever 48. Upon reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be noted that the upper ends of said bars 19 are continuous with the bars 50 which are spaced apart for the purpose of assorting the potatoes, the small ones passing through the spaces intermediate the bars 5.0 which are caught upon the hopper 52 having an exit opening 53 through which the potatoes may fall upon the platform 54 or a receptacle resting upon the latter. The larger potatoes fall upon the hopper 51 which has an exit opening 55 regulated by means of a gate 56 actuated by a lever 57. The rear part of the apparatus rides upon a caster wheel 58. The lower ends of said bars or tines are designated by numeral 22 and are shown as being pointed and afford means for scooping up the potatoes after the soil has been loosened through the medium of the vertically adjustable plow 23. Said plow is fastened to a beam 24 and has a vertical play through an opening 25 in the crooked bar 25 which is bolted to the under side of the frame 1. Mounted upon the upper surface of the platform 26, which is secured to the frame, is a standard 27, apertured as at 28 and 29 for the reception of the bar 24:, serving as means for guiding the latter as it is raised and lowered. A crank shaft 30 is journaled in suitable bearings in said standard and has a pinion wheel 31 fixed thereto which is in mesh with the teeth 32 formed upon one edge of the bar 24: and as shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

An endless conveyer, designated by numeral 33 and shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, passes over sprocket wheels 34: fixed to the shafts 35 and 36, said carrier provided with fingers 37 spaced apart suitable distances and provided for the purpose of raising the potatoes upon said bars 19 as they are loosened by the lower tine ends of said bars scraping through the soil. A sprocket wheel 62 is fixed to one end of the shaft 36 and about this sprocket wheel and the sprocket 6 a sprocket chain 63 passes, affording means for driving the endless carrier.

The mechanism for raking up the vines or rubbish before the hills of potatoes are opened is illustrate-d in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings and consists of two rakes 65 having pins 66 projecting from the upper edges thereof near the ends, said pins being pivotally mounted in bearings 67 fastened to the under side of the frame. Said rakes are pivoted substantially at right angles to each other and have teeth 68 thereon. Projecting from each rake is a plate 69 to the free end of which is pivotally connected a link rod 7 0 which in turn is pivoted to a lever 72, a detail of which is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. A pawl upon the lever 72 engages the notches of the segment member 73. It will be noted that there are two of said levers 72 each pivotally connected to a rake, affording means whereby either one of the rakes may be raised or lowered separately or together and held in adjusted positions. A loop 80 of the bar 25 serves as a stop to limit the swinging movements of the rakes in one direction.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood and is as follows When it is desired to throw the apparatus into gear, the operator by swinging the lever 14 may cause the axle to rotate with the driving wheels and motion will be imparted to the endless carrier. As the plow is lowered into the ground, it will tend to loosen up the soil in advance of the scoop fingers or tines, allowing the latter to raise the potatoes to the surface and the fingers upon the endless carrier will raise the potatoes up the inclined bar and, when they come opposite the assorting bars, the small potatoes will fall through while the larger ones will be raised over the upper end of the assorting bars and allowed to fall in the upper hopper.

The lower ends of the scoop or tine fingers may be raised or lowered and held in different adjusted positions as may be desired through the lever mechanism shown and described. Preparatory to the loosening of the potatoes and elevating the same, the rakes will tend to catch any vines, brush, weeds, etc., and loosen the same before the potatoes are elevated.

By the provision of an apparatus embodying the features of my invention, it will be noted that, owing to the adjustability of the parts, the apparatus may be drawn over a field or driven by any suitable power, not shown, and the vines and rubbish removed from the rows, soil loosened and the potatoes raised and assorted.

hat I claim to be new is 1. A potato digger comprising a frame having an endless carrier with fingers thereon, a swinging rake mounted upon the frame in advance of said carrier, a bar secured to said frame and extending downwardly therefrom and against which said rake is adapted to bear, and a plow having a beam movable through said frame and bar as set forth.

2. A potato digger comprising a frame having an endless carrier with fingers thereon, a rake having a solid body portion with tines upon one -edge and spindle portions j ournaled upon the frame, a bar secured to the latter, said body portion of the rake adapted to bear against said bar, plates secured to the body portion, and a lever pivotally connected to each plate, affording means for swinging the rake, as set forth.

3. A potato digger comprising a frame having an endless carrier with fingers thereon, a swinging rake mounted upon the frame in advance of said carrier, :1 bar which is bent in curved shape having downwardly extending portions, one of which is apert-ured, abeam, a plow thereon, said beam movable through said aperture, a rake pivotally mounted upon the frame and adapted to bear against one of said' downwardly curved portions of the bar to limit its movementin one direction, and a lever for raising and lowering the rake, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L1. HOUCHINS.

Witnesses:

A. L. HOUGH, A. R. FOWLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 03 

